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Meet Joseph LoTurco, Head of Physiology and Neurobiology

What would you say are the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology’s areas of strength?
The research strengths in our department are broadly based and include specific strengths in cellular neurophysiology, glial cell biology, liver biology and disease, physiology of respiration, and biology of reproduction.

What interests students in studying physiology and neurobiology?
I believe undergraduates are drawn to our courses and major because of their interest in gaining an in-depth, mechanistic understanding of the structure and the function of the human body in health and in disease states.

What are the most popular or most loved classes taught in your department?
Our Anatomy and Physiology course series, Mammalian Endocrinology, Biology of the Brain, and Animal Physiology are our most popular courses. Two of our most loved classes are our two advanced laboratory classes, Investigations in Neurobiology and Molecular Principles of Physiology. The two upper division laboratory courses are a particular favorite for our majors because students have the opportunity to design and complete independent research projects as team.

What types of jobs do undergraduate and graduate students pursue after attaining a physiology and neurobiology degree?
Typically, our graduates go on to careers in or related to the health professions or biomedical research. Many of our students go on to graduate or professional schools in biomedical science or medicine.

Have there been recent changes to the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology that have strengthened your department?
Within the last three years the liver biology and disease research group, headed by Professor Li Wang, and a reproductive biology lab, headed by Assistant Professor Jianjun Sun, have brought new research strengths into the department. Two other recently hired faculty, Assistant Professors Alex Jackson and Karen Menuz, have established two labs that have significantly strengthened our reputation in cellular neurophysiology. In terms of new academic programs, we have just completed a second summer of a successful new Graduate Certificate Program, Intraoperative Neuromonitoring (IONM), which was developed and led by Assistant Professor in Residence Rada Filipovic and Adjunct Professor Payam Andalibe.

What do you see as upcoming challenges or opportunities for your department?
Our greatest challenge is that all of our teaching labs and approximately half of our research labs are housed in the old Torrey Life Sciences building. Our ability to meet the growing needs of an expanding student enrollment in our teaching labs, and for modern research space for our research labs, is dependent on the current UConn construction and renovation projects across campus providing us the space we need.
Where do you see the field of physiology and neurobiology going in the next 10 years?
As in much of science, we will be dealing with ever larger multidimensional datasets, or so-called “big data.” Our field will be challenged with making sense of this data in useful and meaningful ways, and as experimentalists, designing clever experiments that rigorously test the hypotheses that can come from rich datasets. Through this type of work, I believe our field will play a critical part in making foundational discoveries needed to advance the new individualized medicine of the future.

What first interested you in physiology and neurobiology?
When I was a sophomore in college, I joined a research lab. In that first week in the lab I made my first electrophysiological recording from neurons in a brain, and then processed histological samples to see where those same neurons were located. In that week I found my life’s passion and haven’t looked back since.

Join us for a talk by Gina Barreca,2018 UCONN BOARD OF TRUSTEESDISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH

All great works of fiction, poetry and dramaâas well as texts forming mythologies, religions, national epics to heroic sagasâhave loneliness at the heart of their narrative. From Persephone to Peter Pan, from âFrankensteinâ to âFrozen,â the stories we pass along are saturated with unwilling isolation.âOnly around half of Americans say they have meaningful, daily face-to-face social interactions,â according to a 2017 study. A former U.S. Surgeon General argues that âWe live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s.â We need more than social media. We need social contact. We need community. How can we break through the loneliness barrier? Being alone when in need of companionship is more than sad; itâs an epidemic.Chronic loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. We need to change our national story and, often, our personal ones as well.Even the concept of the âlone wolfâ is a myth. Wolves hunt in packs.

Reception to follow.

For more information about this event, or if you are an individual who requires special accommodation to participate, please contact the CLAS Deanâs Office at (860) 486-2713.

A liberal arts and sciences degree prepares students with the tools they need to excel across a wide range of careers. Given the number of options available to you, it can be overwhelming to narrow down career choices. Attending CLAS Career Night will provide you exposure to career opportunities for CLAS students.

This semesterâs focus will be on research-based careers. During this event you will engage with CLAS alumni, learn about various occupations, and gain insight about how to best prepare for your future career.

The McNair Scholars Program and the Office of Undergraduate Research invite you to join us for a brown bag research seminar.

Birds, Bacteria, and Bioinformatics: Why Evolutionary Biology is the Best

Sarah Hird, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology

This series is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, and is designed especially for students conducting (or interested in conducting) STEM research. These seminars are opportunities to learn about research being pursued around campus, to talk with faculty about their path into research, and to ask questions about getting involved in research.

About CLAS

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the academic core of learning and research at UConn. We are committed to the full spectrum of academics across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. We give students a liberal arts and sciences education that empowers them with broad knowledge, transferable skills, and an ability to think critically about important issues across a variety of disciplines.